Mixture regulator for liquid fuel burners



Aug. ,4, 1936. A. T. BERSEY MIXTURE REGULATOR FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS F'Eied May 4, 1951 grid Patented Aug. 4, 1936 PATENT OFFICE MIXTURE REGULATOR FOR LIQUID FUEL 'BURNERS Arthur T. Bersey, Detroit, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application May 4, 1931, Serial N 0. 535,020

2 Claims.

The invention relates to liquid fuel burners of that type in which regulation of feed is accomplished by an increase or decrease in the fuel supply to the burner. With such constructions it is necessary that the quantity of air supplied to the burner with the fuel should be correspondingly regulated and in some constructions this is accomplished by thermostatic regulation. However, as there is always a lag in the operation of any thermostatic device the regulation of the mixture is not as exact as would be desirable.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a means of regulation in which the regulation of the quantity of air supplied to the burner directly responds to variations in the quantity of fuel supplied. To this end the invention consists in the con struction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a sectional elevation showing diagrammatically the liquid fuel burner together with means for supplying liquid fuel and air thereto, and also illustrating my improved regulating means;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

The liquid fuel burner to which my improvement is applied is illustrated as comprising a rotary disk A having a conical portion B out of which the liquid fuel is discharged from a nozzle 0 and accumulates in an annular groove D concentric to the axis of rotation from which it is discharged radially outward against an annular deflector E. Air is tgupplied through a conduit F which surrounds the shaft G on which the disk is mounted and which communicates with a radially outwardly extending air passage F adjacent to the disk and on the opposite side from that receiving the liquid fuel. Air enters the passage F through a lateral opening thereinto controlled by a valve or damper H. This damper is mounted on a rock shaft I which when rocked will vary the opening of the damper topincrease or decrease the quantity of air supplied.

To obtain the proper control I have provided means actuated by the flow of the liquid fuel to be delivered to the burner so as to vary the position of the damper in proportion to the flow, the construction being as follows:

J is a fuel supply conduit which leads to a cylindrical chamber K. Within this chamber is a piston L loosely fitting the same, said piston being provided with a skirt L surrounding a chamber therein. Extending through the piston is a restricted aperture M which permits the flow of liquid fuel therethrough corresponding to the minimum amount required for keeping the burner in operation. The liquid fuel after passing the piston rises in the cylinder K and finally passes through a pipe connector N into a conduit N which leads to the nozzle C.

In thesi-de walls of the cylindrical chamber K is a vertical series of restricted aperturesO, O,

etc.'which communicate with a channel P connecting with the pipe connector N. These apertures with the exception of the highest one of the series are normally, covered by the skirt L of the piston when the latter is in its lowered position. Thus when the supply of fuel through the conduit J (regulated by means not shown) is flowing at its minimum rate it will pass upward through the restricted aperture M in the piston thereafter dividing and passing to the pipe fitting N through two parallel paths one of which extends upwardly through cylinder K and the other of I which passes horizontally through the uppermost aperture 0 and then upwardly through channelP. The oil then passes through the pipe fitting N to the conduit N and nozzle C. If, however, the supply through the conduit J is increased it can not pass through the restricted aperture M rapidly enough and consequently the piston is raised. This will successively uncover the apertures O, 0', etc., each of which will permit an additional quantity of liquid to pass into the channel P so that the piston will rise to the point where the flow into the channel P equals the flow through the conduit J.

To regulate the quantity of air, the damper H is raised or lowered corresponding to the rise or depression of the piston L. This is accomplished through the medium of a rock arm Q pivotally supported at Q external to the cylinder L said rock arm Q having a segmental extension Q which enters an aperture in the upper end.

of the cylinder K and extends downward to bear against the piston. The rock arm Q is connected by a link rod R with a rock arm S, which latter is connected to the rock shaft I on which the damper H is secured.

I In operation, whenever there is a variation in the quantity of liquid fuel flowing through the conduit J this will cause either the rise or the fall of the piston L within the cylinder K which, actuating throughthe medium of the segment Q rock arm Q, link R, rock arm S and rock shaft I, will correspondingly raise or lower the damper H. In this way the quantity of air delivered to the burner wil exactly correspond to the quantity of fuel discharged into the passag P and from there to the nozzle 0 and disk of the burner.

To counterbalance the mechanism described, an arm Q connected with the rock arm Q is provided with an adjustable counter-weight Q which is varied in position to properly counterbalance the damper H- with a slight pressure downward on the piston L.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a fuel burner, the combination with a fuel feeding conduit through which fuel is supplied at variable rates of flow, of means provided with flow retarding passages in series flow relation with said conduit, said means provided with flow retarding passages including a movable member controlling in successionthe flow of fuel through said passages to said conduit, said member being provided with a passage for the free flow at all times of a predetermined minimum quantity of fuel, said member moving to increase the flow of fuel through the conduit when fuel is delivered to said conduit at a rate in excess of said predetermined minimum, and a damper operatively connected with said movable member for controlling the flow ofair to the burner in accordance with the rate of fuel flow in said conduit in excess of said predetermined minimum.'

2. In a fuel burner, the combination with a fuel feeding conduit through which fuel is supplied at variable rates of flow, of an automatic regulating device in series flow relation with said conduit comprising a hollow stationary guide having a passage in a wall thereof and said wall having openings from the interior of the hollow guide to the passage, a member movable in said guide and disposed to restrict the flow from the interior of the guide to the passage, said hollow guide being connected with the fuel feeding conduit to receive fuel therefrom and said member being movably responsive to the rate of flow of fuel to the hollow guide whereby said member is automatically moved to uncover said wall openings in accordance with the rate of fuel flow in said fuel feeding conduit, said member being provided with a passage for the free flow at all times of a predetermined minimum quantity of fuel, and a damper operatively connected with said movable member for controlling the flow of air to the burner in accordance with the rate of i fuel flow in said conduit in excess of said predetermined minimum.

ARTHUR T. BERSEY. 

